I used to be uncomfortable with it. The verse that says, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” I’m not sure what connotation my personal filter was giving that verse, but to me, it had a negative spin. Perhaps I saw behind the verse manipulation: “IF you ACTUALLY love me, you’ll prove it by obeying me”. Perhaps I felt condemnation behind the verse “You’re not enough, since you don’t perfectly obey me, you clearly do not love me.” I never…

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Ava, Heather and Rene. Three women of God who couldn’t seem to figure out how to navigate through all the inevitable clashes of personalities in the wonderful world of roommates. I was so irritated with them for not being willing to “give up their right to be right” and just choose love instead. Their issues were making me grumpy. Did I mention my irritation? Ava texted me and asked for prayer against strife and unforgiveness. Ugh. Just stop being babies….

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At the place I work we incorporate a personality test into our interview process. I’m the empathetic, relational type. I value relationships, loyalty, harmony and sincerity (with a bit of bite added in for spice). I’m an encourager, so I naturally look for the best in people and I love close companionship. These are great qualities, but they can also be a cocktail for pain in the dating arena. Through my teens and twenties, I was never without a boyfriend….

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This post is about distractions. When I asked God what to write about this month, this is the idea that came to me. Most likely because I’ve been completely distracted lately. Growing up, the adjective used most to describe me by my friends was “weird.” I heard it almost daily, “Ha ha! You’re so weird.” It never bothered me. I heard it so often that I just assumed that everybody everywhere referred to their friends as weird if they said…

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Can I touch your hair? For some, that phrase brings up a myriad of emotions. For some it’s an innocent question and for others it’s a careless one. I can honestly say I’ve been very intimately acquainted with that question. In my third year of Bible college I got the opportunity to travel to Haiti and the Dominican Republic for six weeks. I got to meet new people, speak in churches and schools, feed the hungry living in “cardboard and…

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My New Year’s goal is to become unoffendable. I’ve been working on it for about two years now and though I’m not there yet, I can tell I’m at least getting better. We live in a culture that prides itself on being opinionated and loves being offended. It’s like a favorite past time for Americans to post strong beliefs and become highly indignant if people disagree. There is absolutely no freedom for the soul in that. If someone can push…

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I read something the other day that made me stop and read it 3 more times. I think Gloria Copeland is adorable. She has so much wisdom packed into this cute-little-unpretentious-southern-mama package. She always has these pithy sayings that get right to the point. The saying that grabbed my attention this time was: Carnal Christians are a miserable species of being! They’re born again, and they know enough about God to keep them from enjoying sin, but they don’t know…

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I’m a dog person. When I meet a dog I always end up gushing, “I love you and I just met you!” When it comes to kids, I take it on a kid-by-kid basis. I think it’s surprising to some because I’m a pretty tender person but it’s extremely rare for me to get that squishy maternal feeling when I see a baby. Would I like to hold her? No, I’m good, thank you. I may sound like a horrible…

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I’ve never met anyone as non-judgmental as Jesus. If you’ve ever spent time in deep, meditative worship in his presence you know what I’m talking about. The more I learn of his heart for me, the more I fall in love with him. In the scripture, when the religious leaders thrust the woman caught in adultery at his feet, demanding that the law be fulfilled, Jesus answered with grace. Because their hearts were blinded by religion, all they saw was…

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I have two beautiful mutts that make up the fur part of our family. One is a Lab-mix and she sheds more than any animal I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. If I don’t vacuum every day, large round tufts of fur resembling tumbleweeds wisp through the room as I walk. Every day is a new battle against the fur (the fur-battle). When I bought my first Roomba, I literally thanked God for it right after thanking him for Jesus…

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